Monday, October 24, 2011

Weight loss surgery on children, when the world totally lost its ever loving mind.


I didn't even intend to write about HAES today but then I read that England was going to start covering gastric weight loss surgery for children as young as ELEVEN.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?

holy mother of all that is unholy and evil and stupid.

ELEVEN.

Because you should be interfering with your body's gastric system before you are even solidly into puberty and are most certainly not done growing.  And to tick me off more they included headless fatty pictures of children and fat child eating junk food pictures to the article.

I hate headless fatty pictures.  If you want pictures of fat people come take a picture of me and my husband flying kites with our kids or hiking or in our Sunday best.

You want a fat person eating fast food, pan out on that zoom lens you got going on and see that there are probably thin people next to them eating THE EXACT SAME STUFF. Funny thing is last time I took my kids to the playland at McDonalds there were plenty of thin people there.

Anyway I digress...


There was also the news story of a sweet woman who died after lap band surgery.



Rojeski, a Ladera Ranch resident who loved dogs and worked as a buyer for an aerospace firm, had told friends and family that she was looking forward to the Lap-Band surgery. One friend described Rojeski as being thrilled ahead of what she hoped would be a life-changing procedure.
"I had just talked to Paula the night before. She was really excited, really happy. She told me, 'I'm going to be skinny!'" 
so. so. sad.
There is also news that a new group has formed to fight for obesity rights, specifically for obesity to be considered a disease on its own accord.
One might on first thought think this is a fat acceptance group fighting for equal rights, rights for people to work, be promoted etc. despite their size.
not so.
CHOICE – Choosing Health Over Obesity and Inspiring Change Through Empowerment.


is, drum roll please...


"Choice" is actually Allergan and the public face to their BIG, BIG business lobbying of government to get obesity considered a disease so they can FORCE insurance agencies and medicare/medicaid to cover obesity surgeries.


SURGERIES That are KILLING PEOPLE!!
following from here:


In the more than forty years that bariatric surgeries have been performed, there have been no randomized, controlled clinical trials that have shown any long-term improvements to actual health or that lives are saved or extended by these surgeries



The end result of bariatric surgery is surgically induced malnutrition:


Gastric bypass essentially results in surgically enforced, very low-calorie, low-carbohydrate dietary intake, thus requiring attention to adequate (>0.5 g/kg) daily protein intake. Micronutrients, including calcium, vitamin B12, folate, multivitamins, thiamine, and iron (for menstruating female subjects), must be supplemented after gastric bypass. A bariatric dietitian who is familiar with the progressive addition of food items with more complex compositions and consistencies can help with meal planning and nutritional “troubleshooting” as recovery proceeds. Finally, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications should be avoided, to reduce the risk of intestinal ulceration and bleeding.


Dr. Smith then discusses the patients in her practice who have had bariatric surgery. A few have done okay, but most haven’t even though they had their surgeries done by the same surgeon and at the same medical center.


One lady passes kidney stones every couple of weeks. Another regurgitates anything solid that she tries to eat and yet has only lost 20 pounds in six months. She says she makes up the calories in liquid. Another can not eat more than one slice of toast at a time without getting sick. Some have chronic diarrhea. Many have nutritional deficiencies. A couple have gained their weight back after 10 or 20 years. And yet, not one of them says they regret having the surgery, such is the praise they get from others for losing weight. If asked, every single one of them would call themselves healthier, but from my perspective their health is worse. They all require more monitoring and more interventions than they did before having the surgery.


It's the height of arrogance, however, to push this medically induced malnourished state on a still developing and growing child. We don't know what damage we may do in the long-run to their bodies or their minds with these procedures.

Her observations partly explain why we hear so little about the severity and prevalence of tragic outcomes among these patients, why patients are not speaking out and bringing lawsuits in droves, and why so few patients really understand beforehand the risks and what their lives will be like after surgery. These are critically important realizations for healthcare professionals, families and anyone considering these surgeries. So, I am going to expound upon them in hopes that it will bring better understanding and enable us to better help our patients, friends and loved ones.
One bariatric patient shared with other patients her experiences:



...If you tell the average person that doesn't really know what weight loss surgery is, they are totally stunned. They just know that your stomach is smaller and that you lose weight. They don't know that the body is getting butchered up. And for the people who do know what the surgery entails, they are so caught up in the disgrace of being obese that they think it's okay to butcher the body to be almighty thin.
When I became very sick, almost 6 years ago, trying to find a doctor to help me, I had friends and relatives tell me “but you would be dead if you hadn't gotten the surgery!” --- and here I was, dying when they were telling me this, because of the surgery! This is how ingrained it is in society, how dangerous it is to be obese.

By having bariatric surgery a woman 


increases her risk of dying 45-fold.


My lasting opinion of all of this is: I may write about this just to change women's perspectives but really altering society's ideals of beauty is a live saving endeavor.


ALL people, especially fat people and more especially fat children NEED to know that they belong in this world. 
Food is not evil. It nourishes you. 
Your body is not wrong it houses you.
Moving feels good and is good for you, you should find a place where you can do it without ridicule.
Don't let anyone cut on your body just to make it look different. 
If you survive the surgery, you may live with unintended consequences for the 
REST. OF. YOUR. LIFE

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